The Best Hot Chocolates in Connecticut With Nearby Hikes

If you’re like me and love an authentic hot chocolate (not Hershey’s syrup and steamed milk ;)) AND you love hiking – then you are going to love this post! I’ve scoured Connecticut to bring you what I find to be the best hot chocolates in Connecticut paired with a nearby scenic winter hike.

Living in CT, putting this list together was important to me. I hike here all the time, I eat here all the time.

It was getting colder and I wanted to spice up my hikes with a little something to look forward to after. Something warm and chocolaty. 🥰🍫

Let me begin by telling you about the research I did for this post…

First, I started with good old Google. I asked – where can I find the best hot chocolates in Connecticut? It returned lists that other people made and I figured ok, this has been done before – someone figured all this out for me.

But I wasn’t going to take someone else’s word for it because I have my own standards for how I want my hot chocolate to be. I wanted something rich, homemade, and special.

So I started with a long list of what others suggested as well as cafes I knew of and began making phone calls.

My line of questions went something like this; “how do you make your hot chocolate?”, “Do you make your own syrup or powder mix?”

The convo lasted all of 20 seconds and depending on the answer I either crossed them off the list or left them on to visit. 😊

Research turned to driving around and planning hikes and hot chocolates across our state and so far, it’s been a ton of fun!

This list is a work in progress and is by no means finished. As I try more I will certainly add them here. And if you have a favorite you’d like to recommend leave a comment below or send me an email, I’d love to hear from you!

Hot Chocolate in Connecticut Paired with Hikes

1. Julien’s Farm Store in Granby

Julien’s is an amazing cake and bakery along a country road in Granby across from the 4,400 acres of McLean Game Refuge. It feels like a fairytale, the way the tiny building is nestled in along a horse farm with the ridges of McLean rising around it.

I love making the trip to Julien’s and anything I get is worth the wait (you must try their homemade biscuit egg n’ cheese if you haven’t yet!).

So when I saw on their Instagram story how they were making their hot chocolate – steaming the milk in a pot on the stove with whole vanilla beans then mixing in freshly shaved chocolate and rich cocoa powder – oh, AND making their own marshmallows 😱 I knew I had to get there ASAP.

• Richness = 3 (on a scale of 1-4)
• Chocolatey = 4, you can taste the cocoa powder here! yum
• Ingredients: milk is steamed with vanilla bean, shaved chocolate, dark cocoa powder, giant homemade marshamallow

🥾 Nearby Hikes:

Barndoor Hill Loop: 4.6 miles, 587 ft elevation, Moderate. Views & loop around pond

Holcomb Farm Trails, Eastern Loop: 2.1 miles, Easy. Views all along hills of the farm

• Farmington Canal Rail Trail: paved & as many miles as you want it to be!

2. Rebel Dog Coffee, 2 locations in Farmington and Plainville

Living near here I was pleased to find that no – they do not use a premade syrup with a long list of strange ingredients.

Rebel Dog barristas use shaved dark chocolate mixed with steamed milk and vanilla syrup. They top it with whipped cream (if you’d like) and dark chocolate bits.

I asked for less vanilla syrup since I like to taste the chocolate more and enjoy the richness when it is not very sweet.

• Richness = 2 (on a scale of 1-4)
• Chocolatey = 2, this is a mild, kid-friendly hot chocolate.
• Ingredients: your choice of milk, shaved chocolate, vanilla syrup (optional whipped cream topped with chocolate bits)

🥾 Nearby Hikes:

Rattlesnake Mountain: 2.5 miles or 5.5 mile route, Moderate. Beautiful views!

Suburban Park: 1.4-mile loop, 140 ft elevation, Easy. Kid-friendly option, once an amusement park (operating from 1895-1905), it’s been transformed into a network of short trails

Pinnacle Rock via Metacomet: 3.5 miles, 449 ft elevation, Moderate. Multiple lookouts!

3. Heirloom Market, Old Wethersfield

You’ll love visiting Heirloom Market during the winter when the whole town of Old Wethersfield is transformed into a set from a Hallmark Christmas movie. 😍

Heirloom Market sells local organic produce, local products like honey and locally made gifts, a coffee bar, baked goods and a seed shop.

Their baked goods are unbelievably good and even though I wasn’t *crazy* about their hot chocolate I would come back here again and again for their dark chocolate sea salt cookie AND their egg and cheese on a homemade biscuit!! Wow…

But back to the hot chocolate – they do make their own ganache there that they use with your choice of steamed milk. I found it to be a little weak for me and on the sweeter side.

It was a bit sweet for me but I also love dark chocolate and actually enjoy the bitter taste of pure cocoa. If you are a milk chocolate person you may enjoy the mild and sweeter taste here!

• Richness = 1 (on a scale of 1-4)
• Chocolatey = 2, light and mild
• Ingredients: your choice of milk and their homemade chocolate ganache syrup

🥾 Nearby Hikes:

Rocky Hill Quarry Trail, 1.8 mile loop, 190 ft elevation gain

Cedar Mountain Loop, 2 mile loop, 302 ft elevation gain

4. 45 On Main Coffee, Chocolate, & Creamery, Kent

Kent is located on the western edge of CT in southern Litchfield County. And nestled in its charming downtown center is 45 On Main.

There is so much to love about visiting here. First, all of their chocolate and truffles and candy! They make their own chocolate from the truffles to chocolate dipped Oreos and pretzels.

They also have baked goods like coffee cake (loved it!), croissants, and bagels.

And if you like places that go all out for Christmas you’ll love what they do in and outside here! It’s also a great place to pick up special gifts with nicely packaged gift bags and boxes of their chocolate and candy plus an array of unique coffees, teas, and other fun things.

And now to their hot chocolate – I loved it! It was very chocolatey and on the darker side. They do one that’s ‘not as sweet’ and I opted for that one with oat milk. It was perfect after a cold hike.

• Richness = 3 (on a scale of 1-4)
• Chocolatey = 3
• Ingredients: high percentage cocoa powder mixed with sugar and then your choice of milk, can get it topped with candy canes and whipped cream

🥾 Nearby Hikes:

Bull Mountain Trail Loop, 1.8 miles, 364 ft elevation

Herrick Preserve Trail, 3.1 miles, 580 ft elevation

5. Sweet Williams Coffee Shop & Bakery, Salisbury

Homemade, special, and not too sweet – this is one of my favorite stops on this list. Nestled in the quaint downtown of Salisbury, right on Main Street, Sweet Williams always satisfies my sweet tooth!🦷

Visiting several times before, I had high hops & expectations when I asked the kind man at the counter how they make their hot chocolate. He gave me an answer he seemed proud of and one they should be proud of!

Sweet Williams makes their own dark chocolate syrup using cocoa powder, melted mini chips, a little sugar, a pinch of salt, and hot water. Wow, what a winning combo!

I really enjoyed this one while I ordered a small at first to try it, I finished it quickly while sitting in their cute little backroom (don’t miss it!) that I had to order a medium for the hour-plus drive home!

Can’t wait for you to try this one! 🙂 And I know Salisbury might be a far drive from most, given it’s on the western edge of our state, so check out my post ➡️🌟 Day Trip to Salisbury 🌟and make a day of it!

• Richness = 3.5 (on a scale of 1-4)
• Chocolatey = 3.5
• Ingredients: cocoa powder, melted mini chips, sugar, salt, and your choice of milk

🥾Nearby Hikes:

🥾Lion’s Head, 2.3 miles, 603 ft elevation (great for sunrise! :))

🥾Bald Peak & Riga Falls, 5.6 miles, 1,000 feet of elevation

This hike takes you up Mount Riga Rd which is closed (at a certain point) in the winter. We did see a CT state park truck driving down (only vehicles allowed) so just keep your eyes and ears out as you go.

It’s nice because you get to walk up a wide path (the road is covered in snow) making it a somewhat easy hike since you’re not navigating rocky terrain.

At about 1.4 miles up the road on your right you will notice a little parking area and path down to Riga Falls.

That’s it for now, friends! I hope you enjoyed this post about THE best homemade hot chocolates in CT featuring nearby hikes!

I love pairing hikes with my food outings cause it’s fun to work up an appetite for something sweet! ☕️🍪

6. Giv Coffee, Canton

For years I drove by and by this spot. Living only ten minutes away, I finally decided to stop and see if they had a *special* hot chocolate – one worth writing about.

And let me tell you—this one is good! It’s dark, rich, and just slightly sweet. This is a hot chocolate for chocolate lovers!

Giv even sells their hot chocolate mix and listed on the container is the following;

“Our hot chocolate is as rich as a dark chocolate bar, unlike the lighter chocolate flavor that’s more common, our approach adds depth and complexity to the taste.”

• Richness = 3.5 (on a scale of 1-4)
• Chocolatey = 4
• Ingredients: cocoa powder, melted mini chips, sugar, salt, and your choice of milk

🥾Onion Mountain Preserve, Canton Land Trust, 2.1 miles, 423 ft elevation

That’s it for now, friends!

I will continue to add to this list as I find them. And please leave a comment below if you’ve enjoyed any of the above places or if you have one to suggest! 🙂